Henry Fonda earned his first Oscar nomination for his indelible turn as Tom Joad who becomes head of his family of Oklahoma tenant farmers in John Ford’s 1940 masterpiece “The Grapes of Wrath’ based on John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. And 44 years later, his two-time Oscar-winning daughter Jane Fonda had her “Grapes of Wrath” moment in the ABC Mother’s Day movie, “The Dollmaker.”
Based on Harriette Arnow’s 1954 novel of the same name, the three-hour drama set in the final two years of World War II, finds Fonda playing the indomitable Gertie Nevels, a caring, loving and uneducated mother of five. A sharecropper in Kentucky, Gertie dreams of owning her own farm and has saved enough money to buy one. Her husband (Levon Holm) isn’t much of a farmer but is good at fixing machines. When he gets a job as a mechanic at a factory in Detroit,...
Based on Harriette Arnow’s 1954 novel of the same name, the three-hour drama set in the final two years of World War II, finds Fonda playing the indomitable Gertie Nevels, a caring, loving and uneducated mother of five. A sharecropper in Kentucky, Gertie dreams of owning her own farm and has saved enough money to buy one. Her husband (Levon Holm) isn’t much of a farmer but is good at fixing machines. When he gets a job as a mechanic at a factory in Detroit,...
- 5/13/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Actress Melody Thomas Scott and her real-life husband, producer Edward J. Scott, will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award during “The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards,” it was announced on Monday. Public television host and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich will also be honored.
The honors will be presented in person on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 at the historic Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles with “The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” being broadcast Live Friday, June 7 on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
“We’ve long wanted to honor the legendary daytime duo of Melody Thomas Scott and her husband Edward J. Scott. With a combined 93 years of contributions to our community, they are true institutions in the world of Daytime television. In addition, Lidia Bastianich’s astounding success combines her love of cooking while simultaneously entertaining millions each day. It is an...
The honors will be presented in person on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 at the historic Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles with “The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” being broadcast Live Friday, June 7 on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
“We’ve long wanted to honor the legendary daytime duo of Melody Thomas Scott and her husband Edward J. Scott. With a combined 93 years of contributions to our community, they are true institutions in the world of Daytime television. In addition, Lidia Bastianich’s astounding success combines her love of cooking while simultaneously entertaining millions each day. It is an...
- 5/6/2024
- by Errol Lewis
- Soap Opera Network
Okay, all you Meryl Streep superfans out there. You may think you know everything there is to know about the acclaimed three-time Academy Award winner. But can you name which of her Oscar-nominated roles she claims she was not “sexy enough” for until she “stuffed” her bra with paper towels for the director? Streep has been nominated a whopping 21 times throughout her career, an academy record, so we’ll help you narrow it down by giving you a few hints.
Hint #1: The film is based on a 1937 memoir.
Hint #2: Streep portrays the memoir’s author.
Hint #3: The movie won seven Oscars, including Best Picture.
Have you figured it out yet, or has the lion got your tongue? If you guessed “Out of Africa” (1985), you are correct!
Streep’s role of Isak Dinesen (the pseudonym of author Karen von Blixen) earned her a fifth Best Actress Oscar nomination,...
Hint #1: The film is based on a 1937 memoir.
Hint #2: Streep portrays the memoir’s author.
Hint #3: The movie won seven Oscars, including Best Picture.
Have you figured it out yet, or has the lion got your tongue? If you guessed “Out of Africa” (1985), you are correct!
Streep’s role of Isak Dinesen (the pseudonym of author Karen von Blixen) earned her a fifth Best Actress Oscar nomination,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Pride started early in 2024 with the SXSW premiere of “Sense8” actor Brian J. Smith’s debut documentary “A House Is Not a Disco,” a kaleidoscopic look at the LGBT past and present of Fire Island. Part fly-on-the-wall immersion — Smith invokes Frederick Wiseman when talking about it — part introductory guide for newbies who maybe knew a bit on how Fire Island Pines is a gay mecca but don’t really know what all the fuss is about, it’s an exuberant, colorful, many-faceted view of a place where many gay men first felt fully free to be themselves completely uninhibited. Or as Smith puts it, it was where he “learned how to be a gay man.”
Still seeking distribution, “A House Is Not a Disco” is remarkable for capturing that Fire Island Pines is a place where joy is currency — but far from the only emotion to be experienced there. Smith...
Still seeking distribution, “A House Is Not a Disco” is remarkable for capturing that Fire Island Pines is a place where joy is currency — but far from the only emotion to be experienced there. Smith...
- 4/12/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Ron Harper, who starred on Planet of the Apes and four other short-lived primetime series and on the final season of the beloved kids TV show Land of the Lost during a very busy 15 years on television, has died. He was 91.
Harper died Thursday of natural causes at his home in West Hills, his daughter, Nicole Longeuay, told The Hollywood Reporter.
After understudying for Paul Newman on Broadway, Harper portrayed Det. Bert Kling alongside Norman Fell, Robert Lansing, Gregory Walcott and Gena Rowlands on the 1961-62 NBC cop show 87th Precinct, based on the novels of Ed McBain.
He played Jeff Conway, the husband of Connie Stevens’ character, on the 1964-65 ABC sitcom Wendy and Me, also starring George Burns, who produced the show and appeared as the owner of the apartment building in which the young couple lives.
Next up for Harper were turns as the son of Jean Arthur...
Harper died Thursday of natural causes at his home in West Hills, his daughter, Nicole Longeuay, told The Hollywood Reporter.
After understudying for Paul Newman on Broadway, Harper portrayed Det. Bert Kling alongside Norman Fell, Robert Lansing, Gregory Walcott and Gena Rowlands on the 1961-62 NBC cop show 87th Precinct, based on the novels of Ed McBain.
He played Jeff Conway, the husband of Connie Stevens’ character, on the 1964-65 ABC sitcom Wendy and Me, also starring George Burns, who produced the show and appeared as the owner of the apartment building in which the young couple lives.
Next up for Harper were turns as the son of Jean Arthur...
- 3/25/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of 2024’s obsessions is “Feud: “Capote vs. the Swans.” The FX on Hulu limited series revolves around the best-selling novelist Truman Capote‘s friendship with several of the highest of New York’s society women include Babe Paley, Slim Keith and Lee Radziwill, the sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The women treat him as a sort of father confessor, but when he publishes an excerpt from what he considers his will be his masterwork “Answered Prayers” in Esquire — a thinly veiled account of their lives and secrets –they feel betrayed and turn their back on their once trusted friend. He spends the rest of his life trying to get back into their good graces.
Everyone knows Capote wrote “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and his superb “In Cold Blood” and was a witty albeit inebriated guest on countless talk shows, but how much do you really know about him?
Capote was...
Everyone knows Capote wrote “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and his superb “In Cold Blood” and was a witty albeit inebriated guest on countless talk shows, but how much do you really know about him?
Capote was...
- 3/19/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
At the inaugural Academy Awards in 1929, native Pennsylvanian Janet Gaynor made history as the first American-born performer to win an Oscar by taking the Best Actress prize for her body of work in “7th Heaven,” “Street Angel,” and “Sunrise.” Over the subsequent 95 years, 215 more thespians originating from the United States won the academy’s favor, meaning the country has now produced 68.1% of all individual acting Oscar recipients. Considering the last decade alone, the rate of such winners is even higher, at 70.3%.
At this point, 96.8% of American-born acting Oscar victors have hailed from one of 34 actual states. Of those constituting the remainder, three originated from the federal District of Columbia, while four were born in the territory of Puerto Rico. New York (home to 49 winners) is the most common birth state among the entire group, followed by California (34), Illinois (13), Massachusetts (11), and Pennsylvania (11).
Bearing in mind our specific birthplace focus, the 16 states...
At this point, 96.8% of American-born acting Oscar victors have hailed from one of 34 actual states. Of those constituting the remainder, three originated from the federal District of Columbia, while four were born in the territory of Puerto Rico. New York (home to 49 winners) is the most common birth state among the entire group, followed by California (34), Illinois (13), Massachusetts (11), and Pennsylvania (11).
Bearing in mind our specific birthplace focus, the 16 states...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
When you have the SAG Award nominated ensemble of “American Fiction” – John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jeffrey Wright (also individually nominated in male lead and Oscar nominated for the film) you have to ask them where it all began. In discussing their first jobs for the union, Ross revealed that, like many actors, she started with a commercial – this one for Infiniti cars.
But her co-stars soon revealed surprisingly momentous stories for their first SAG-AFTRA jobs. Wright noted his onscreen debut was opposite Burt Lancaster and Sidney Poitier in the 1991 miniseries “Separate but Equal” about the Brown v. Board of Education court case. “My first single was opposite Sidney Poitier,” Wright revealed. Alexander started in a 1986 film called “My Little Girl” that starred Mary Stuart Masterson, Geraldine Page and – in her film debut – Jennifer Lopez. And Ortiz
Ross joked, “My Infiniti commercial is getting smaller and smaller…...
But her co-stars soon revealed surprisingly momentous stories for their first SAG-AFTRA jobs. Wright noted his onscreen debut was opposite Burt Lancaster and Sidney Poitier in the 1991 miniseries “Separate but Equal” about the Brown v. Board of Education court case. “My first single was opposite Sidney Poitier,” Wright revealed. Alexander started in a 1986 film called “My Little Girl” that starred Mary Stuart Masterson, Geraldine Page and – in her film debut – Jennifer Lopez. And Ortiz
Ross joked, “My Infiniti commercial is getting smaller and smaller…...
- 2/18/2024
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
In 2020 – for the first time in seven years – the Best Supporting Actress Oscar category saw a lone nomination, meaning that a film was recognized there and nowhere else. This achievement is attributed to Kathy Bates (“Richard Jewell”), who competed for no major precursors except the Golden Globe but still managed to bump Critics Choice, SAG, and Globe nominee Jennifer Lopez (“Hustlers”). Perhaps unsurprisingly given the length of the streak she broke, there has yet to be a lone contender in any of her category’s subsequent lineups.
Since the introduction of the two gendered supporting Oscars in 1937, there have been 57 female lone nominees and 54 male ones, with over half of the entrants on the former roster having been added before 1977. The one who directly preceded Bates was Helen Hunt, whose inclusion in her lineup was much more heavily predicted. Coincidentally, both women had the perceived advantage of being former Best Actress champions,...
Since the introduction of the two gendered supporting Oscars in 1937, there have been 57 female lone nominees and 54 male ones, with over half of the entrants on the former roster having been added before 1977. The one who directly preceded Bates was Helen Hunt, whose inclusion in her lineup was much more heavily predicted. Coincidentally, both women had the perceived advantage of being former Best Actress champions,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
The motion picture academy has handed out Oscars for leading performances since the first ceremony in 1929. While the Best Actor prize is typically taken by a veteran, the Best Actress Oscar has tended to go to an ingenue. However, those age biases could be changing.
While a whopping 32 of the 96 Best Actress champs were in their 20s when they picked up their Oscars, the last five women to win were: 60-year-old Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”); 45-year old Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”); double champ Frances McDormand, 45-year-old Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) and 50-year-old Renee Zellweger (“Judy”). Yeoh’s closest rival last year was Cate Blanchett, 53, for “Tar.” (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2024 Oscar predictions for Best Actress.)
Besides Zellweger, the only other Best Actress champs in their 50s were both 54 when they won: Julianne Moore, who finally prevailed after four losses for “Still Alice...
While a whopping 32 of the 96 Best Actress champs were in their 20s when they picked up their Oscars, the last five women to win were: 60-year-old Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”); 45-year old Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”); double champ Frances McDormand, 45-year-old Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) and 50-year-old Renee Zellweger (“Judy”). Yeoh’s closest rival last year was Cate Blanchett, 53, for “Tar.” (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2024 Oscar predictions for Best Actress.)
Besides Zellweger, the only other Best Actress champs in their 50s were both 54 when they won: Julianne Moore, who finally prevailed after four losses for “Still Alice...
- 12/29/2023
- by Paul Sheehan and Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Cicely Tyson is an Emmy Award-winning actress for “The Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All” in 1994 and 20 years earlier for “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.”
Tyson has worked steadily in film and television since the 1960s. Her Emmy nominations have come in a variety of categories and for some highly acclaimed television shows such as “Roots” and “King”.
Tyson has also had an acclaimed career on the Broadway stage. She appeared in a number of productions both on and off-Broadway throughout her life. In 2013 and at age 88, Tyson won the Tony as Best Actress in a Play for a revival of the Horton Foote play “The Trip to Bountiful.” (That was the same role that won Geraldine Page the Best Actress Oscar in 1985.)
She received an honorary Oscar for life achievement, induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and the Kennedy Center Honors. But its her film career that...
Tyson has worked steadily in film and television since the 1960s. Her Emmy nominations have come in a variety of categories and for some highly acclaimed television shows such as “Roots” and “King”.
Tyson has also had an acclaimed career on the Broadway stage. She appeared in a number of productions both on and off-Broadway throughout her life. In 2013 and at age 88, Tyson won the Tony as Best Actress in a Play for a revival of the Horton Foote play “The Trip to Bountiful.” (That was the same role that won Geraldine Page the Best Actress Oscar in 1985.)
She received an honorary Oscar for life achievement, induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and the Kennedy Center Honors. But its her film career that...
- 12/15/2023
- by Misty Holland, Robert Pius and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Martin Gage, a veteran Hollywood and New York talent agent whose client roster over the decades included Woody Harrelson, Kirstie Alley, Geraldine Page, Kim Basinger and Tim Robbins, died yesterday in Los Angeles. He was 89.
His death was announced by the Brs/Gage Talent Agency.
Born in New York on May 4, 1934, Gage began his show business career as an actor in the 1950s, performing on and Off Broadway, as well as in summer stock and the Las Vegas production of the musical comedy La Plume De Ma Tante.
Gage shifted his focus to representation in the 1960s, first as a manager, and then as an agent. He joined the Fifi Oscard Agency, and after four years became a partner in the newly-dubbed Oscard-Gage Agency. In 1973, he opened The Gage Group in New York, and two years later moved to Los Angeles to expand the agency.
In 2014, his agency merged with Brs...
His death was announced by the Brs/Gage Talent Agency.
Born in New York on May 4, 1934, Gage began his show business career as an actor in the 1950s, performing on and Off Broadway, as well as in summer stock and the Las Vegas production of the musical comedy La Plume De Ma Tante.
Gage shifted his focus to representation in the 1960s, first as a manager, and then as an agent. He joined the Fifi Oscard Agency, and after four years became a partner in the newly-dubbed Oscard-Gage Agency. In 1973, he opened The Gage Group in New York, and two years later moved to Los Angeles to expand the agency.
In 2014, his agency merged with Brs...
- 11/21/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
As of this writing, based on the combined Oscar predictions of Gold Derby users, Fantasia Barrino is the front-runner to win Best Actress with 9/2 odds for playing Celie in “The Color Purple.” Currently in seventh place with 11/1 odds is Annette Bening for “Nyad.” Bening is long overdue for her first win. So could this be similar to 1985 when another overdue veteran beat an actress playing Celie in “The Color Purple?”
In “The Color Purple,” Barrino plays Celie Harris Johnson, an African-American woman struggling to live in the South during the early 1900s. In “Nyad,” Bening plays Diana Nyad, a real-life swimmer who, at age 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach (Jodie Foster), commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.
SEEOscar predictions: Fantasia Barrino (‘The Color Purple’) is the early favorite for historic Best Actress victory
During the 1985 season...
In “The Color Purple,” Barrino plays Celie Harris Johnson, an African-American woman struggling to live in the South during the early 1900s. In “Nyad,” Bening plays Diana Nyad, a real-life swimmer who, at age 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach (Jodie Foster), commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.
SEEOscar predictions: Fantasia Barrino (‘The Color Purple’) is the early favorite for historic Best Actress victory
During the 1985 season...
- 9/1/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Inga Swenson, the two-time Tony-nominated singer and actress who as the dictatorial German cook Gretchen Kraus sparred with Robert Guillaume‘s character on the 1980s ABC sitcom Benson, has died. She was 90.
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Carlin Glynn, who won a Tony Award for her performance as the madam Mona Stangley in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and had strong supporting turns in the films Sixteen Candles and The Trip to Bountiful, has died. She was 83.
Glynn died July 13, her daughter, actress Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny & Joon), announced in an Instagram post. She died in upstate New York, and the cause was lung cancer.
“My mother, Carlin Glynn Masterson, passed away. I was with her. I will always be grateful for those last moments, no matter how hard,” she wrote. “Death is like birth in the oddest way. From my first breath to her last. This thread is as fragile as it is strong.
“She was the most graceful clumsy person you would ever meet. Strong, smart, silly, intuitive, kind, generous, passionate and a deep listener. She was devoted to my father...
Glynn died July 13, her daughter, actress Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny & Joon), announced in an Instagram post. She died in upstate New York, and the cause was lung cancer.
“My mother, Carlin Glynn Masterson, passed away. I was with her. I will always be grateful for those last moments, no matter how hard,” she wrote. “Death is like birth in the oddest way. From my first breath to her last. This thread is as fragile as it is strong.
“She was the most graceful clumsy person you would ever meet. Strong, smart, silly, intuitive, kind, generous, passionate and a deep listener. She was devoted to my father...
- 7/20/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the fall of 2021, Olivia Colman scored her first career Emmy for “The Crown” despite not having succeeded on her Oscar bid for “The Father” that spring. This made her the 16th performer to prevail at the Emmys directly after going home empty-handed at the Oscars and the fourth to do so during the 21st century. Now that the 2023 Emmy nominations ballots have been released, eight of the 16 actors who lost Oscars at the most recent ceremony officially have shots at joining Colman on this list.
Gold Derby’s Emmy odds currently indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Brian Tyree Henry and Hong Chau, who just received their first career Academy Award nominations for their respective supporting turns in “Causeway” and “The Whale.” Henry is seeking his second comedy supporting Emmy notice for “Atlanta,” while Chau could pull double...
Gold Derby’s Emmy odds currently indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Brian Tyree Henry and Hong Chau, who just received their first career Academy Award nominations for their respective supporting turns in “Causeway” and “The Whale.” Henry is seeking his second comedy supporting Emmy notice for “Atlanta,” while Chau could pull double...
- 7/5/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Edward L. Rissien, who produced the Burt Lancaster-starring war film Castle Keep and served as an executive at ABC, Bing Crosby Productions, Filmways and Playboy Productions, has died. He was 98.
Rissien died April 8 of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, his nephew, Emmy-nominated director Michael Zinberg (The Bob Newhart Show, The Good Wife, NCIS), told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Eddie was a well-respected man who had beautiful taste in material,” Zinberg said. “He was always looking for something that would make a difference.”
An Iowa native who started out as a stage manager on Broadway, Rissien helped set up Harry Belafonte‘s HarBel Productions after acquiring the film rights for Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), the Robert Wise-directed drama that starred Belafonte, Robert Ryan and Shelley Winters.
He also produced Snow Job (1972), starring legendary French skier and Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy as a thief in his only feature role,...
Rissien died April 8 of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, his nephew, Emmy-nominated director Michael Zinberg (The Bob Newhart Show, The Good Wife, NCIS), told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Eddie was a well-respected man who had beautiful taste in material,” Zinberg said. “He was always looking for something that would make a difference.”
An Iowa native who started out as a stage manager on Broadway, Rissien helped set up Harry Belafonte‘s HarBel Productions after acquiring the film rights for Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), the Robert Wise-directed drama that starred Belafonte, Robert Ryan and Shelley Winters.
He also produced Snow Job (1972), starring legendary French skier and Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy as a thief in his only feature role,...
- 5/10/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2023 Oscar nominees for Best Actress are Cate Blanchett (“Tar”), Ana de Armas (“Blonde”), Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”), Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”), and Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”). Our current odds indicate that Yeoh (82/25) will take the prize, followed in order by Blanchett (18/5), Williams (9/2), Riseborough (9/2), and de Armas (9/2).
Blanchett, who triumphed here in 2014 for “Blue Jasmine,” is the only past Oscar winner in this lineup. She now belongs to a group of 20 women with at least five Best Actress nominations apiece, with her previous unsuccessful bids having come for “Elizabeth” (1999), “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2008), and “Carol” (2016). She also has a supporting victory to her name for “The Aviator” (2005) as well as two more notices in that category for “Notes on a Scandal” (2007) and “I’m Not There” (2008). Her overall nomination total of eight is the one of the highest for an actress, behind Meryl Streep (21), Katharine Hepburn (12), and Bette Davis...
Blanchett, who triumphed here in 2014 for “Blue Jasmine,” is the only past Oscar winner in this lineup. She now belongs to a group of 20 women with at least five Best Actress nominations apiece, with her previous unsuccessful bids having come for “Elizabeth” (1999), “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2008), and “Carol” (2016). She also has a supporting victory to her name for “The Aviator” (2005) as well as two more notices in that category for “Notes on a Scandal” (2007) and “I’m Not There” (2008). Her overall nomination total of eight is the one of the highest for an actress, behind Meryl Streep (21), Katharine Hepburn (12), and Bette Davis...
- 3/10/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
It can be a long road to Oscar victory — some of the best have never stood victorious on that stage regardless of acclaim and despite, in some cases, numerous nominations.
However, there are some who end up Oscar champs after a long wait. Some, like Henry Fonda and John Wayne, only had two acting nominations in decades-long careers and after starring in dozens of films that are now classics.
Some, like Al Pacino and Paul Newman, spent two decades piling up nominations, with each of these men having six prior acting nominations leading up to the ceremonies in which they won. Geraldine Page won on her eighth try, after receiving a nomination in every decade from the 1950s to the 1980s. She and Lee Grant were both unfortunate victims of the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s, after promising Oscar-nominated film debuts; however, both of these ladies made spectacular comebacks, eventually earning well-deserved statues.
However, there are some who end up Oscar champs after a long wait. Some, like Henry Fonda and John Wayne, only had two acting nominations in decades-long careers and after starring in dozens of films that are now classics.
Some, like Al Pacino and Paul Newman, spent two decades piling up nominations, with each of these men having six prior acting nominations leading up to the ceremonies in which they won. Geraldine Page won on her eighth try, after receiving a nomination in every decade from the 1950s to the 1980s. She and Lee Grant were both unfortunate victims of the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s, after promising Oscar-nominated film debuts; however, both of these ladies made spectacular comebacks, eventually earning well-deserved statues.
- 3/3/2023
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
It can be a long road to Oscar victory — some of the best have never stood victorious on that stage regardless of acclaim and despite, in some cases, numerous nominations.
However, there are some who end up Oscar champs after a long wait. Some, like Henry Fonda and John Wayne, only had two acting nominations in decades-long careers and after starring in dozens of films that are now classics.
Some, like Al Pacino and Paul Newman, spent two decades piling up nominations, with each of these men having six prior acting nominations leading up to the ceremonies in which they won. Geraldine Page won on her eighth try, after receiving a nomination in every decade from the 1950s to the 1980s. She and Lee Grant were both unfortunate victims of the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s, after promising Oscar-nominated film debuts; however, both of these ladies made spectacular comebacks, eventually earning well-deserved statues.
However, there are some who end up Oscar champs after a long wait. Some, like Henry Fonda and John Wayne, only had two acting nominations in decades-long careers and after starring in dozens of films that are now classics.
Some, like Al Pacino and Paul Newman, spent two decades piling up nominations, with each of these men having six prior acting nominations leading up to the ceremonies in which they won. Geraldine Page won on her eighth try, after receiving a nomination in every decade from the 1950s to the 1980s. She and Lee Grant were both unfortunate victims of the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s, after promising Oscar-nominated film debuts; however, both of these ladies made spectacular comebacks, eventually earning well-deserved statues.
- 3/2/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
As we approach O-Day and the 95th Academy Awards on March 12, it’s always fun to go back and look at the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories and revel in some of the trivia and shockers that have gone down on the awards season’s biggest stage. This is the rare year when Meryl Streep isn’t in the running, as her 21 overall nominations in the acting categories are nearly double the number of her closest female pursuer, Katherine Hepburn, who has 12. However, Hepburn still holds the all-time Oscar record with four acting wins. Streep has a mere three.
Here are some other actress category factoids to chew on:
Should Cate Blanchett win Best Actress this year for her role in “Tar,” she would tie Streep, Ingrid Bergman and Frances McDormand for second place behind Hepburn among actresses with three triumphs apiece. All four of Hepburn’s wins...
Here are some other actress category factoids to chew on:
Should Cate Blanchett win Best Actress this year for her role in “Tar,” she would tie Streep, Ingrid Bergman and Frances McDormand for second place behind Hepburn among actresses with three triumphs apiece. All four of Hepburn’s wins...
- 2/28/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
The motion picture academy has handed out Oscars for leading performances since the first ceremony in 1929. While the Best Actor prize is typically taken by a veteran, the Best Actress Oscar has tended to go to an ingenue. However, those age biases could be changing. While a whopping 32 of the 95 Best Actress champs have been in their 20s when they picked up their Oscars, the last four women to win were Frances McDormand, 45-year-old Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”), 50-year-old Renee Zellweger (“Judy”) and 45-year old Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”). Chastain’s closest rival last year were Colman, now 48, for “The Lost Daughter” and 47-year-old Penelope Cruz for “Parallel Mothers”. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2023 Oscars Best Actress predictions.)
Besides Zellweger, the only other Best Actress champs in their 50s were both 54 when they won: Julianne Moore, who finally prevailed after four losses for “Still Alice” in 2015, and theater veteran Shirley Booth,...
Besides Zellweger, the only other Best Actress champs in their 50s were both 54 when they won: Julianne Moore, who finally prevailed after four losses for “Still Alice” in 2015, and theater veteran Shirley Booth,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
John Wayne once described himself as "just the paint for the palettes" of directors like John Ford and Howard Hawks, the filmmakers who steered him in films such as "Stagecoach" and "Red River." Such modesty was characteristic of "The Duke," whom Orson Welles described as one of the best-mannered actors in Hollywood. Yet Wayne was doing himself a disservice, for while he did benefit from the tutelage of two great filmmakers, he also worked long and hard to create the persona of "John Wayne," a figure with a distinctive gait, an easy drawl, and tough morality.
To explore the career of John Wayne is to explore five decades of Hollywood history. Wayne acted opposite everyone from Barbara Stanwyck and Maureen O'Hara to Henry Fonda, James Stewart, and Kirk Douglas. The list of directors he worked with is just as impressive, too.
So, where does one start with John Wayne, both...
To explore the career of John Wayne is to explore five decades of Hollywood history. Wayne acted opposite everyone from Barbara Stanwyck and Maureen O'Hara to Henry Fonda, James Stewart, and Kirk Douglas. The list of directors he worked with is just as impressive, too.
So, where does one start with John Wayne, both...
- 2/1/2023
- by Jack Hawkins
- Slash Film
Cate Blanchett is officially C8 Blanchett. With her Best Actress Oscar nomination for “TÁR” on Tuesday, Blanchett has joined the small group of performers with eight acting nominations.
Just six other people have earned exactly eight bids: Marlon Brando, Jack Lemmon, Judi Dench, Geraldine Page, Peter O’Toole and Glenn Close. All have won at least once except for O’Toole and Close, who share the record for the most nominations without a victory. Only nine people have received more than eight nominations, led by 21-time nominee Meryl Streep.
See Full list of Oscar nominations
Blanchett’s slate of eight is comprised of five Best Actress bids and three Best Supporting Actress ones. Her other four lead nominations were for “Elizabeth” (1998), “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2007), “Blue Jasmine” (2013) and “Carol” (2015). Her supporting nominations were for “The Aviator” (2004), “Notes on a Scandal” (2006) and “I’m Not There” (2007). The actress’ wins for “The Aviator” and...
Just six other people have earned exactly eight bids: Marlon Brando, Jack Lemmon, Judi Dench, Geraldine Page, Peter O’Toole and Glenn Close. All have won at least once except for O’Toole and Close, who share the record for the most nominations without a victory. Only nine people have received more than eight nominations, led by 21-time nominee Meryl Streep.
See Full list of Oscar nominations
Blanchett’s slate of eight is comprised of five Best Actress bids and three Best Supporting Actress ones. Her other four lead nominations were for “Elizabeth” (1998), “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2007), “Blue Jasmine” (2013) and “Carol” (2015). Her supporting nominations were for “The Aviator” (2004), “Notes on a Scandal” (2006) and “I’m Not There” (2007). The actress’ wins for “The Aviator” and...
- 1/24/2023
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Sandra Seacat, the actress and influential acting coach who as a Lee Strasberg disciple taught the craft to the likes of Laura Dern, Mickey Rourke, Harvey Keitel, Common, Andrew Garfield, Michelle Williams and many others, has died. She was 86.
Seacat died Tuesday of natural causes in Santa Monica, family friend and publicist Stan Rosenfield announced.
Seacat’s students said her innovative techniques were able to extract out of them their most truthful, powerful and naturalistic performances.
“Sandra lived by seeing magic and possibility in everything,” Dern said in a statement. “She met the discovery of character and story with equal protectiveness, irreverence, humility and grace. She taught us the practice of investigating healing through acting.
“But more than that, she invited us to know ourselves as artists and humans in ways I could’ve never begun to explore without her. She’s been my teacher since age 17, and I had...
Seacat died Tuesday of natural causes in Santa Monica, family friend and publicist Stan Rosenfield announced.
Seacat’s students said her innovative techniques were able to extract out of them their most truthful, powerful and naturalistic performances.
“Sandra lived by seeing magic and possibility in everything,” Dern said in a statement. “She met the discovery of character and story with equal protectiveness, irreverence, humility and grace. She taught us the practice of investigating healing through acting.
“But more than that, she invited us to know ourselves as artists and humans in ways I could’ve never begun to explore without her. She’s been my teacher since age 17, and I had...
- 1/19/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Clint Eastwood entered the 1970s at a transitional point in his career. He was for certain a movie star, but, despite hits like the crime-thriller "Coogan's Bluff" and the World War II flick "Where Eagles Dare," he was still primarily associated with Westerns. This was hardly a precarious place to be. He'd earned enough studio goodwill to take a risk or two on a movie that wasn't a straight-down-the-middle commercial play.
Thomas P. Cullinan's novel "The Beguiled" presented such a risk. The Southern Gothic about a wounded Union soldier cared for by a headmistress (Geraldine Page) and her young female charges at a Mississippi seminary was dark and creepy and just about as far from the macho heroics of "A Fistful of Dollars" as Eastwood could get. His character becomes an object of desire for many of the women in the house, and he uses his worldly charm to encourage their advances.
Thomas P. Cullinan's novel "The Beguiled" presented such a risk. The Southern Gothic about a wounded Union soldier cared for by a headmistress (Geraldine Page) and her young female charges at a Mississippi seminary was dark and creepy and just about as far from the macho heroics of "A Fistful of Dollars" as Eastwood could get. His character becomes an object of desire for many of the women in the house, and he uses his worldly charm to encourage their advances.
- 12/13/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Between 1999 and 2014, Cate Blanchett collected three film acting Golden Globes, with her 2008 supporting win for “I’m Not There” having occurred between her dramatic lead victories for “Elizabeth” and “Blue Jasmine.” As the star of 2022’s “TÁR,” the five-time Best Film Drama Actress nominee is now in a comfortable position to earn her sixth bid and third win in the category, the latter of which would be a record-tying achievement. Based on Gold Derby’s odds, this outcome is more of an inevitability than a possibility.
Being named this year’s Best Film Drama Actress would make Blanchett the category’s fourth triple champion. Those already on this list are Ingrid Bergman, Jane Fonda, and Meryl Streep. Blanchett would also be only the sixth woman to receive half a dozen nominations for this award, after Katharine Hepburn, Geraldine Page, Faye Dunaway, Streep, and Nicole Kidman.
Blanchett is already one of...
Being named this year’s Best Film Drama Actress would make Blanchett the category’s fourth triple champion. Those already on this list are Ingrid Bergman, Jane Fonda, and Meryl Streep. Blanchett would also be only the sixth woman to receive half a dozen nominations for this award, after Katharine Hepburn, Geraldine Page, Faye Dunaway, Streep, and Nicole Kidman.
Blanchett is already one of...
- 12/11/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
One of the greatest powers that films have is the ability to generate empathy. Even if we have a hard time understanding the issues that other people are dealing with, a great movie can open us up to someone else's experience. While some people go to the movies simply for escapism, films can be a tool for healing and learning.
Divorce is a topic that cinema has flirted with since the golden age of Hollywood, and classic films bravely took on these topics. Comedies like "His Girl Friday" and "The Awful Truth" dealt with non-traditional relationships, in which the couple has to consider the vows they want to make to each other. Although the 1970s saw many serious dramas about the legal proceedings of divorce, such as "Scenes From A Marriage" and "An Unmarried Woman," there have also been more humorous interpretations like "Something's Gotta Give" and "It's Complicated."
Here...
Divorce is a topic that cinema has flirted with since the golden age of Hollywood, and classic films bravely took on these topics. Comedies like "His Girl Friday" and "The Awful Truth" dealt with non-traditional relationships, in which the couple has to consider the vows they want to make to each other. Although the 1970s saw many serious dramas about the legal proceedings of divorce, such as "Scenes From A Marriage" and "An Unmarried Woman," there have also been more humorous interpretations like "Something's Gotta Give" and "It's Complicated."
Here...
- 12/3/2022
- by Liam Gaughan
- Slash Film
Paul Newman had a storied career -- spanning the '50s-era studio films through New Hollywood and into the modern era. The man even appeared in a Pixar film! Toward the end of his life, Barbara Walters asked Newman what he imagined his epitaph would be. "That I was part of my times," the actor replied. He was that, but he was also a man who could adapt to whatever a film required with Hollywood charm and sparkling eyes. Ethan Hawke, who directed the docuseries "The Last Movie Stars" about Newman and his decades-long relationship with Joanne Woodward, had some thoughts on his marriage of charisma and talent. Hawke told A.Frame, "They weren't movie stars; they were actors!... I realized they're the last people where being an actor was what it took to be a movie star."
His decades-long career debuted some stone-cold classics -- like "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,...
His decades-long career debuted some stone-cold classics -- like "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,...
- 10/18/2022
- by Eric Langberg
- Slash Film
We talk a great deal nowadays about audience identification with a movie. If a person who is on screen looks and sounds like me, then I am able to connect with that character and care about their story, because, in a way, it is my story too. This mentality runs through the minds of many aspiring actors. They think, "I can do that," because someone they resemble is doing it. In certain instances, this line of thinking can be extremely valuable, particularly for marginalized communities who rarely are afforded the opportunity to see similarly marginalized people in film, television, theatre, or other narrative art.
But it can also be extremely limiting. If you are an actor purely looking to recreate the career of a similar actor who came before you, how are you pushing your craft forward? A diversity of inspiration makes for a more dynamic sense of empathy within...
But it can also be extremely limiting. If you are an actor purely looking to recreate the career of a similar actor who came before you, how are you pushing your craft forward? A diversity of inspiration makes for a more dynamic sense of empathy within...
- 9/29/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
It was the summer of 1973 and Meryl Streep, fresh off her first year of drama school, had a job cleaning urinals in New Haven, Connecticut.
“True story,” she recalled from an Austin podium Saturday night in opening a tribute that was less about bathrooms and more about an acting hero. “I heard that a friend of mine that I knew in college got cast in a big movie and it was the first person that I ever knew that had been cast in a movie. Michael Moriarty was a beautiful young actor. So, all my friends after work, we went to the movie theater to see him.”
The film was the John D. Hancock-directed Bang the Drum Slowly about the friendship between a pitcher (Moriarty) and catcher as they cope with the latter’s terminal illness through the course of a baseball season.
It was the summer of 1973 and Meryl Streep, fresh off her first year of drama school, had a job cleaning urinals in New Haven, Connecticut.
“True story,” she recalled from an Austin podium Saturday night in opening a tribute that was less about bathrooms and more about an acting hero. “I heard that a friend of mine that I knew in college got cast in a big movie and it was the first person that I ever knew that had been cast in a movie. Michael Moriarty was a beautiful young actor. So, all my friends after work, we went to the movie theater to see him.”
The film was the John D. Hancock-directed Bang the Drum Slowly about the friendship between a pitcher (Moriarty) and catcher as they cope with the latter’s terminal illness through the course of a baseball season.
- 9/26/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Louise Fletcher, who won the best actress Oscar for her indelible performance as Nurse Ratched in Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” died Friday at her home in France, according to a rep. She was 88.
The classic film, based on Ken Kesey’s novel and exploring the repressive tendency of authority through the story of the patients and staff of a psych ward, won five Oscars in 1976, including best picture and best actor for Jack Nicholson.
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was the first film in more than four decades to sweep the major categories of best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay. It was nominated for an additional four Oscars and was also a substantial box office hit.
In the American Film Institute TV special “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Heroes & Villains,” Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched was named the fifth-greatest villain in film history — and second-greatest villainess,...
The classic film, based on Ken Kesey’s novel and exploring the repressive tendency of authority through the story of the patients and staff of a psych ward, won five Oscars in 1976, including best picture and best actor for Jack Nicholson.
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was the first film in more than four decades to sweep the major categories of best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay. It was nominated for an additional four Oscars and was also a substantial box office hit.
In the American Film Institute TV special “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Heroes & Villains,” Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched was named the fifth-greatest villain in film history — and second-greatest villainess,...
- 9/24/2022
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Louise Fletcher, the sweet actress from Alabama who won an Academy Award for her turn as the heartless Nurse Ratched — one of the most reviled characters in movie history — in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died. She was 88.
Fletcher died Friday of natural causes at her home in Montdurausse, France, her son Andrew Bick told The Hollywood Reporter. She had survived two bouts with breast cancer.
A daughter of deaf parents — she made one of the most touching acceptance speeches in Oscar history — Fletcher also starred as a psychiatrist in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and played opposite Peter Falk amid the star-studded ensemble in The Cheap Detective (1978).
On television, she portrayed the religious leader Kai Winn Adami on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and received Emmy nominations in 1996 and 2004 for her guest-starring stints on Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia, respectively.
Louise Fletcher, the sweet actress from Alabama who won an Academy Award for her turn as the heartless Nurse Ratched — one of the most reviled characters in movie history — in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died. She was 88.
Fletcher died Friday of natural causes at her home in Montdurausse, France, her son Andrew Bick told The Hollywood Reporter. She had survived two bouts with breast cancer.
A daughter of deaf parents — she made one of the most touching acceptance speeches in Oscar history — Fletcher also starred as a psychiatrist in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and played opposite Peter Falk amid the star-studded ensemble in The Cheap Detective (1978).
On television, she portrayed the religious leader Kai Winn Adami on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and received Emmy nominations in 1996 and 2004 for her guest-starring stints on Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia, respectively.
- 9/24/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Louise Fletcher, whose Oscar-winning performance as the sadistic Nurse Ratched in 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest gave Hollywood one of its greatest all-time villains and provided the culture with a portrait of bureaucratic evil so indelible that the character’s last name could carry a TV series 45 years later, died Friday at her home in Montdurausse, France. She was 88.
Her death was announced to Deadline by her family through agent David Shaul. Although no cause was specified, Shaul said she passed away in her sleep at the home she had built from a 300-year-old farmhouse, surrounded by family. Earlier today, she said to her family about her beloved home, “I can’t believe I created something so meaningful to my well-being.”
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Although forever linked with her most famous character, Fletcher enjoyed an acting career that spanned more than 60 years and included...
Her death was announced to Deadline by her family through agent David Shaul. Although no cause was specified, Shaul said she passed away in her sleep at the home she had built from a 300-year-old farmhouse, surrounded by family. Earlier today, she said to her family about her beloved home, “I can’t believe I created something so meaningful to my well-being.”
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Although forever linked with her most famous character, Fletcher enjoyed an acting career that spanned more than 60 years and included...
- 9/24/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products released each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Nosferatu & Metaluna Mutant Action Figures from Super 7
Super 7 will add Nosferatu and This Island Earth’s Metaluna Mutant to its Ultimates action figure line in October 2023. They’re available to pre-order for 54.99. Shipping is free with the code FALLFREE22.
Nosferatu comes with three interchangeable heads, eight interchangeable hands, rat, and key ring, while Metaluna Mutant includes two interchangeable heads and four interchangeable hands. Each 7” figure is packaged in a slipcase-style collector’s box.
Halloween Posters from Vice Press
Vice Press has released Halloween 24×36 lithograph prints by Florey. Two variants are available: one with an autumnal, daytime aesthetic and the other with a spooky, nighttime atmosphere. My favorite detail is the subtle reflection of Michael Myers’ mask in the window.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Nosferatu & Metaluna Mutant Action Figures from Super 7
Super 7 will add Nosferatu and This Island Earth’s Metaluna Mutant to its Ultimates action figure line in October 2023. They’re available to pre-order for 54.99. Shipping is free with the code FALLFREE22.
Nosferatu comes with three interchangeable heads, eight interchangeable hands, rat, and key ring, while Metaluna Mutant includes two interchangeable heads and four interchangeable hands. Each 7” figure is packaged in a slipcase-style collector’s box.
Halloween Posters from Vice Press
Vice Press has released Halloween 24×36 lithograph prints by Florey. Two variants are available: one with an autumnal, daytime aesthetic and the other with a spooky, nighttime atmosphere. My favorite detail is the subtle reflection of Michael Myers’ mask in the window.
- 9/23/2022
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
The motion picture academy has handed out Oscars for leading performances since the first ceremony in 1929. While the Best Actor prize is typically taken by a veteran, the Best Actress Oscar has tended to go to an ingenue. However, those age biases could be changing. While a whopping 32 of the 95 Best Actress champs have been in their 20s when they picked up their Oscars, the last three women to win were Frances McDormand, 45-year-old Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”), 50-year-old Renee Zellweger (“Judy”) and 45-year old Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”). Chastain’s closest rival last year were Colman, now 48, for “The Lost Daughter” and 47-year-old Penelope Cruz for “Parallel Mothers”. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2023 Oscars Best Actress predictions.)
Besides Zellweger, the only other Best Actress champs in their 50s were both 54 when they won: Julianne Moore, who finally prevailed after four losses for “Still Alice” in 2015, and theater veteran Shirley Booth,...
Besides Zellweger, the only other Best Actress champs in their 50s were both 54 when they won: Julianne Moore, who finally prevailed after four losses for “Still Alice” in 2015, and theater veteran Shirley Booth,...
- 9/14/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Click here to read the full article.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Actors Studio — the legendary New York (and later Los Angeles) workshop co-founded by Elia Kazan in 1947 where Marlon Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman and scores of other acting heavyweights perfected their craft — the Academy Museum is hosting a series of Sunday screenings. It kicks off Aug. 28 with a showing of 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, an early Martin Scorsese drama starring Ellen Burstyn, current co-president of the Actors Studio with Al Pacino. Burstyn will be in attendance for a Q&a following the screening (tickets available here).
The Oscar-winning stage and screen legend, 89, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the creative alchemy that goes on behind the doors of that storied institution — “a gymnasium where [actors] work out” is how she describes it. Along the way, Burstyn let it spill why, after 50 years, she agreed to return to The Exorcist.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Actors Studio — the legendary New York (and later Los Angeles) workshop co-founded by Elia Kazan in 1947 where Marlon Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman and scores of other acting heavyweights perfected their craft — the Academy Museum is hosting a series of Sunday screenings. It kicks off Aug. 28 with a showing of 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, an early Martin Scorsese drama starring Ellen Burstyn, current co-president of the Actors Studio with Al Pacino. Burstyn will be in attendance for a Q&a following the screening (tickets available here).
The Oscar-winning stage and screen legend, 89, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the creative alchemy that goes on behind the doors of that storied institution — “a gymnasium where [actors] work out” is how she describes it. Along the way, Burstyn let it spill why, after 50 years, she agreed to return to The Exorcist.
- 8/26/2022
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Who knew when the year began that a sequel to a 36-year-old movie starring its 60-year-old actor who headlined the original would be the box office champ so far this year? But “Top Gun: Maverick” starring Tom Cruise, which was released Aug. 23 on digital formats while still flying high in theaters is not only the No. 1 film of the year with a staggering haul of 683.4 million domestically and 720 million overseas. And the acclaimed film didn’t even play in China or Russia. “Top Gun: Maverick” is also the biggest film of Cruise’s career which began in 1981 with Franco Zeffirelli’s “Endless Love.”
And with the digital release, let’s relive 1986, the year we first felt the need for speed and flew into the danger zone. The year the original “Top Gun” took our breath away.
Top 10 Box Office Hits
Top Gun (natch)
Crocodile Dundee
Platoon
The Karate Kid Part...
And with the digital release, let’s relive 1986, the year we first felt the need for speed and flew into the danger zone. The year the original “Top Gun” took our breath away.
Top 10 Box Office Hits
Top Gun (natch)
Crocodile Dundee
Platoon
The Karate Kid Part...
- 8/24/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The fourth season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” is set in 1986. Talk about déjà vu.
The top movie of the year was “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise and this year, the sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” is the top flick earning nearly 582 million in North America. “Cobra Kai,”the TV sequel to “Karate Kid,” is one of the most popular series on Netflix and several “Star Trek” series have blasted off on “Paramount+.
A handful the top ten TV series including “Cheers,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Golden Girls” are living on in repeats. One of the top series, “60 Minutes,” is still chugging away on CBS after 54 seasons making it the longest running primetime series on the small screen. And Michael J. Fox, who won the Emmy that year for “Family Ties,” will receive an honorary Oscar this fall.
So, in honor of “Stranger Things” let’s take the time...
The top movie of the year was “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise and this year, the sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” is the top flick earning nearly 582 million in North America. “Cobra Kai,”the TV sequel to “Karate Kid,” is one of the most popular series on Netflix and several “Star Trek” series have blasted off on “Paramount+.
A handful the top ten TV series including “Cheers,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Golden Girls” are living on in repeats. One of the top series, “60 Minutes,” is still chugging away on CBS after 54 seasons making it the longest running primetime series on the small screen. And Michael J. Fox, who won the Emmy that year for “Family Ties,” will receive an honorary Oscar this fall.
So, in honor of “Stranger Things” let’s take the time...
- 7/11/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
We still remember the scary Am radio ads from back in the 6th grade: They Eat Human Flesh! Mainstream ‘nabe theaters that wouldn’t show Herschell Gordon Lewis movies played this proto-gore horror show, an ingeniously crafted thriller that captures the horror comic vibe with clever, gruesome special effects. The flesh eaters are glittering bits of organic matter that can skeletonize a human in fifteen seconds! Martin Kosleck’s mad doctor is happy to welcome tasty human morsels for his ravenous home-grown microbes. An alternate version slides into sleaze territory with a tasteless flashback to a Nazi ‘medical experiment.’ The best extra is a long-awaited audio commentary, recorded for an earlier disc that was never released.
The Flesh Eaters
Blu-ray
1964 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date June 28, 2022
Starring: Martin Kosleck, Byron Sanders, Barbara Wilkin, Rita Morley, Ray Tudor, Barbara Wilson.
Cinematography: Jack Curtis
Film Editor: Radley Metzger
Special Effects:...
The Flesh Eaters
Blu-ray
1964 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date June 28, 2022
Starring: Martin Kosleck, Byron Sanders, Barbara Wilkin, Rita Morley, Ray Tudor, Barbara Wilson.
Cinematography: Jack Curtis
Film Editor: Radley Metzger
Special Effects:...
- 7/5/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Decades ago, in his landmark “Biographical Dictionary of Film,” critic David Thomson said of filmmaking legend Francis Coppola: “No one retains so many jubilant traits of the kid moviemaker.” As Coppola approaches production on “Megalopolis,” his biggest, most creatively ambitious project of the 21st century, that description seems more apt than ever.
And a quick glance at the Variety archives vividly illustrates Coppola’s explosive emergence as a veritable force of nature while still enrolled as a film student at UCLA.
The wunderkind announced his arrival with his name blasted in a Variety page one headline as the winner of a student screenwriting competition. The story below goes on to note: “The $2,000 first prize in UCLA’s eighth annual Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Creative Writing contest was won by Francis Ford Coppola, grad student in the Theatre Arts for his screenplay, ‘Pilma Pilma.’
He is slated to go to Europe soon...
And a quick glance at the Variety archives vividly illustrates Coppola’s explosive emergence as a veritable force of nature while still enrolled as a film student at UCLA.
The wunderkind announced his arrival with his name blasted in a Variety page one headline as the winner of a student screenwriting competition. The story below goes on to note: “The $2,000 first prize in UCLA’s eighth annual Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Creative Writing contest was won by Francis Ford Coppola, grad student in the Theatre Arts for his screenplay, ‘Pilma Pilma.’
He is slated to go to Europe soon...
- 3/20/2022
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
In 1998, 63-year-old Judi Dench earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance in “Mrs. Brown,” which made her the fifth oldest first-time Best Actress contender up to that point. That same year, 87-year-old supporting hopeful Gloria Stuart (“Titanic”) set a still-intact oldest female nominee record that Dench just came within 161 days of breaking by landing a featured bid this year for “Belfast.”
This marks Dench’s eighth career nomination, which makes her one of the six most-recognized actresses in Oscars history alongside Glenn Close and Geraldine Page and behind Meryl Streep (21), Katharine Hepburn (12), and Bette Davis (11).
In terms of screen time, her average for her three nominated featured roles is 11 minutes and seven seconds (or 10.05% of the respective films). Her five nominated lead performances average out to 48 minutes and 53 seconds (or 50.33%). Check out our gallery and screen time analysis of Dench’s eight Oscar-nominated performances.
This marks Dench’s eighth career nomination, which makes her one of the six most-recognized actresses in Oscars history alongside Glenn Close and Geraldine Page and behind Meryl Streep (21), Katharine Hepburn (12), and Bette Davis (11).
In terms of screen time, her average for her three nominated featured roles is 11 minutes and seven seconds (or 10.05% of the respective films). Her five nominated lead performances average out to 48 minutes and 53 seconds (or 50.33%). Check out our gallery and screen time analysis of Dench’s eight Oscar-nominated performances.
- 3/16/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
In 1998, 63-year-old Judi Dench earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance in “Mrs. Brown,” which made her the fifth oldest first-time Best Actress contender up to that point. That same year, 87-year-old supporting hopeful Gloria Stuart (“Titanic”) set a still-intact oldest female nominee record that Dench just came within 161 days of breaking by landing a featured bid this year for “Belfast.”
This marks Dench’s eighth career nomination, which makes her one of the six most-recognized actresses in Oscars history alongside Glenn Close and Geraldine Page and behind Meryl Streep (21), Katharine Hepburn (12), and Bette Davis (11). She has one past win to her name for her notoriously brief turn in “Shakespeare in Love” (1999). Pulling off a second supporting victory would make her the third actress to do so, after Shelley Winters and Dianne Wiest.
This is Dench’s third supporting outing. In terms of screen time, her average for her...
This marks Dench’s eighth career nomination, which makes her one of the six most-recognized actresses in Oscars history alongside Glenn Close and Geraldine Page and behind Meryl Streep (21), Katharine Hepburn (12), and Bette Davis (11). She has one past win to her name for her notoriously brief turn in “Shakespeare in Love” (1999). Pulling off a second supporting victory would make her the third actress to do so, after Shelley Winters and Dianne Wiest.
This is Dench’s third supporting outing. In terms of screen time, her average for her...
- 3/16/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Based upon the kudos count to date, Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” clearly ranks as one of the top awards-contending films of 2021. For those fascinated by that raucous, rowdy, storm-the-barricades Hollywood moment known as the “New Hollywood,” which started roughly in the mid-’60s and was exhausted or vanquished — depending upon who’s telling the history — by the end of the 1970s, it’s also the perfect embodiment of that era’s fondness for revisionism, both historical and cinematic, as well as sexual frankness wherever the filmmakers could find it.
Which shouldn’t be surprising, given that the film’s taut, deadly source material is Thomas Savage’s piercing 1967 modern Western, “The Power of the Dog.” Set in 1925, a little over a decade past the 1913 setting of Sam Peckinpah’s revolutionary 1969 revisionist Western, “The Wild Bunch,” “Dog,” like “Bunch,” skewers the American Dream along with myths of...
Which shouldn’t be surprising, given that the film’s taut, deadly source material is Thomas Savage’s piercing 1967 modern Western, “The Power of the Dog.” Set in 1925, a little over a decade past the 1913 setting of Sam Peckinpah’s revolutionary 1969 revisionist Western, “The Wild Bunch,” “Dog,” like “Bunch,” skewers the American Dream along with myths of...
- 1/3/2022
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1966 comedy about a love-starved nebbish boasts a daunting cast, including Geraldine Page, Julie Harris, and Rip Torn. Peter Kastner plays the teenager kicked out of the nest by his gruff father—fortunately (or not) he falls right into the arms of the ethereal Elizabeth Hartman. A bittersweet film if ever there was, it got a big boost from John Sebastian and The Lovin’ Spoonful’s breezy pop score.
The post You’re A Big Boy Now appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post You’re A Big Boy Now appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 8/9/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Clarence Williams III, an actor known for portraying Linc Hayes on “The Mod Squad” and Prince’s father in “Purple Rain,” died on June 4. He was 81.
Williams’ management confirmed his death to Variety, citing the cause as colon cancer.
Williams broke through in 1968 as one of the stars of the counterculture cop show “The Mod Squad,” also starring then-unknown actors Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. He was a mainstay of the series until its end in 1973, and went on to have a career in film, television and theater spanning four decades.
Williams portrayed Prince’s father in 1984’s “Purple Rain” and had a recurring role as FBI Agent Roger Hardy on beloved TV show “Twin Peaks.” He also had a long-running collaboration with director John Frankenheimer, playing Bobby Shy in 1986’s “52 Pick-Up,” Chaka in 1994’s “Against the Wall,” Archie in the 1997 TV movie “George Wallace” and Merlin in 2000’s “Reindeer Games.
Williams’ management confirmed his death to Variety, citing the cause as colon cancer.
Williams broke through in 1968 as one of the stars of the counterculture cop show “The Mod Squad,” also starring then-unknown actors Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. He was a mainstay of the series until its end in 1973, and went on to have a career in film, television and theater spanning four decades.
Williams portrayed Prince’s father in 1984’s “Purple Rain” and had a recurring role as FBI Agent Roger Hardy on beloved TV show “Twin Peaks.” He also had a long-running collaboration with director John Frankenheimer, playing Bobby Shy in 1986’s “52 Pick-Up,” Chaka in 1994’s “Against the Wall,” Archie in the 1997 TV movie “George Wallace” and Merlin in 2000’s “Reindeer Games.
- 6/6/2021
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
The 86-year-old actress talks about her emotional acceptance speech after winning for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
When friends come over to visit Louise Fletcher at her Los Angeles condo, many are eager to take a look at one eight-pound object, which sits on a bookshelf along with other gadgets and mementos in her small office. “It’s usually the first thing they want to see, even before they see me,” Fletcher told TheWrap with a hearty laugh. “They always ask if they can hold it and they always say, ‘Oh, it’s heavy.'”
For sure, it is heavy. Fletcher is referring to the Academy Award that she won 45 years ago, on March 29, 1976. Gerald Ford was president, the United States was celebrating its bicentennial, and Fletcher was terrifying audiences all over the world with her cold-eyed, leading portrayal of Nurse Ratched, an iconic movie nemesis, in Milos Forman...
When friends come over to visit Louise Fletcher at her Los Angeles condo, many are eager to take a look at one eight-pound object, which sits on a bookshelf along with other gadgets and mementos in her small office. “It’s usually the first thing they want to see, even before they see me,” Fletcher told TheWrap with a hearty laugh. “They always ask if they can hold it and they always say, ‘Oh, it’s heavy.'”
For sure, it is heavy. Fletcher is referring to the Academy Award that she won 45 years ago, on March 29, 1976. Gerald Ford was president, the United States was celebrating its bicentennial, and Fletcher was terrifying audiences all over the world with her cold-eyed, leading portrayal of Nurse Ratched, an iconic movie nemesis, in Milos Forman...
- 4/22/2021
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
Lee Aaker, best known for starring as Corporal Rusty of “B-Company” on the 1950s western series “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” died on April 1. He was 77.
Paul Petersen, another former child actor, confirmed the news to Variety and posted a tribute on his Facebook page, along with a signed photo of a young Aaker with Rin Tin Tin, his onscreen canine pal.
“Saying Goodbye to Lee Aaker,” Peterson said. “You have to be a certain age to remember Rin Tin Tin. Lee Aaker passed away in Arizona on April 1st, alone and unclaimed…listed as an ‘indigent decedent.’ As an Air Force veteran Lee is entitled to burial benefits. I am working on that. God knows when a sparrow falls.”
Aaker was born on September 25, 1943. His mother, Myles Wilbour, was the owner of a dancing school in Los Angeles. He was singing and dancing at local clubs by the age of 4. At 8-years old,...
Paul Petersen, another former child actor, confirmed the news to Variety and posted a tribute on his Facebook page, along with a signed photo of a young Aaker with Rin Tin Tin, his onscreen canine pal.
“Saying Goodbye to Lee Aaker,” Peterson said. “You have to be a certain age to remember Rin Tin Tin. Lee Aaker passed away in Arizona on April 1st, alone and unclaimed…listed as an ‘indigent decedent.’ As an Air Force veteran Lee is entitled to burial benefits. I am working on that. God knows when a sparrow falls.”
Aaker was born on September 25, 1943. His mother, Myles Wilbour, was the owner of a dancing school in Los Angeles. He was singing and dancing at local clubs by the age of 4. At 8-years old,...
- 4/14/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
Lee Aaker, best known as the 1950s child star of The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin, has died at 77. The news comes via a social media post by former child actor and activist Paul Petersen. Petersen said Aaker “passed away in Arizona on April 1st, alone & unclaimed, listed as an ‘indigent decedent.'”
Aaker was 11 when The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin first appeared on ABC. The western’s original run on Friday evenings lasted from October 1954 to May 1959. Aaker played Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid being raised at Fort Apache. He starred opposite James E. Brown’s Lieutenant Ripley “Rip” Masters and, of course, a number of German shepherds who portrayed the titular canine.
Aaker’s career began propitiously. Even before Rin Tin Tin, at the age of 8 he had uncredited appearances in films such as The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and High Noon (1952). Aaker then appeared opposite Barbara Stanwyck...
Aaker was 11 when The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin first appeared on ABC. The western’s original run on Friday evenings lasted from October 1954 to May 1959. Aaker played Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid being raised at Fort Apache. He starred opposite James E. Brown’s Lieutenant Ripley “Rip” Masters and, of course, a number of German shepherds who portrayed the titular canine.
Aaker’s career began propitiously. Even before Rin Tin Tin, at the age of 8 he had uncredited appearances in films such as The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and High Noon (1952). Aaker then appeared opposite Barbara Stanwyck...
- 4/14/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Legendary movie star, Last Call‘s Bruce Dern, joins Josh and Joe to discuss a few of his favorite movies and moments.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Cowboys (1972)
Last Call (2021)
Silent Running (1972)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
The Reivers (1969)
The War Wagon (1967)
Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)
The Shootist (1976)
Sands Of Iwo Jima (1949)
Wild River (1960)
Viva Zapata (1952)
Castle Keep (1969)
The Big Knife (1955)
Attack (1956)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)
Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Suspicion (1941)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Trial (1962)
Great Expectations (1946)
The Sound Barrier (1952)
Oliver Twist (1948)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Rko 281 (1999)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Mank (2020)
The Chase (1966)
The Formula (1980)
Shine (1996)
All That Jazz (1979)
A Decade Under The Influence (2003)
Shane (1953)
The Sons Of Katie Elder (1965)
The King Of Marvin Gardens (1972)
Deliverance (1972)
Nebraska (2013)
Twixt (2011)
The ’Burbs (1989)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
The Descendants (2011)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Charade (1963)
The Truth About Charlie...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Cowboys (1972)
Last Call (2021)
Silent Running (1972)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
The Reivers (1969)
The War Wagon (1967)
Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)
The Shootist (1976)
Sands Of Iwo Jima (1949)
Wild River (1960)
Viva Zapata (1952)
Castle Keep (1969)
The Big Knife (1955)
Attack (1956)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)
Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Suspicion (1941)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Trial (1962)
Great Expectations (1946)
The Sound Barrier (1952)
Oliver Twist (1948)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Rko 281 (1999)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Mank (2020)
The Chase (1966)
The Formula (1980)
Shine (1996)
All That Jazz (1979)
A Decade Under The Influence (2003)
Shane (1953)
The Sons Of Katie Elder (1965)
The King Of Marvin Gardens (1972)
Deliverance (1972)
Nebraska (2013)
Twixt (2011)
The ’Burbs (1989)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
The Descendants (2011)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Charade (1963)
The Truth About Charlie...
- 4/6/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
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